Our cat sitter is also our kid sitter, who lives across the street. She always offers to feed the cat for free and I always pay her $15 a day. She comes by once a day.

My cat sitter comes by once a day and charges $15/day. So it sounds like that's the going rate. If someone were to stay in my house, though, I'd pay more.

My sister says it's $30/day for this guy, which would be great, I admit.

That gif of the woman beating down the phone-thief is EPIC. Also EPIC: these women during the liberation of Milan during WWII: [link]

Having now surveyed the scene in daylight, last night's strange car accident seems even more strange. In the dark by flashlight, I had wondered how he managed to throw so much red-clay dirt into the road when it didn't seem he'd dug into my yard that much. I figured in daylight I'd see a huge mess I'd need to fill in. Well, there's a big hole, but it's not in my yard. As best as I can work it out, by the giant divots and the tire tracks, here's what happened: he got confused somehow about where the road went, and hit my across-the-street neighbor's yard first, straddling a deep but narrow ditch and spewing car parts across the yard. He reversed the car and somehow got out, spun around and backed into the neighbor's yard, taking out another divot, then gunned it forward and slammed into the low embankment around my yard. Then the car died and he walked off swearing. The car got towed away last night. A couple heavy rains will smooth out the ding taken out of my yard, but my neighbors are gonna need professional help. I'd love to know the story.

That's just weird, Zen, but I'm glad your yard wasn't damaged much.

Suzi, I'm so sorry about the pain, and I hope the doc today can do something really effective.

'Suela, I wish recovery was faster for you. It sucks not being able to do things that need doing.

I hope the nurse proceeds in a way that works for you, ita.

General better~ma to those who need it.

And congratulations to Emmett!

On my first try with the dialect quiz, I was U.S., Canadian, and oddly Ebonics. Second try was Canadian, Scottish, and Norwegian. I'm still confused about the Ebonics. It'd be nice to have them explain more about the differences in what is natural for various speakers to use in grammar. I found it fascinating that the little information blurb say that "she is raining" would be a normal thing for an Australian to say (whereas that looked straight up wrong to me!).

The idea that, for any given region, ALL of those choices are correct, is boggling. At least I'm assuming they are. We are so weird.

I'd love to know the story.

I suspect alcohol.

I suspect so.

Thanks y'all. I finally fell asleep around 7:30am and just woke up. Which -yay sleep- but I slept through my docs Sat hours missing my chance to ask about any short term relief ideas. Googling scared me off from trying to see what others have found helpful. Stepping away from the Google. Maybe I can con K-Bug into going out for a bit. Maybe How to Train Your Dragon 2.

Well I tried the doc's office and talked to a nurse. She didn't have any ideas but will talk with the doc on duty. I'm really not expecting a short term solution. I already know Ibuprofen and opiates don't touch it. The Lorazapram keeps me a bit calmer but doesn't cut the pain.

Picture the worse toothache you have ever had and then imagine that in all the teeth on one side of your mouth. Sometimes it aches. Sometimes it is all in full stabbing pain. Best way I can explain it.

Sorry for the whining. My ability to deal is almost nil.